TU Delft – IISc seed fund grantees.
We are happy to announce that 4 projects have been awarded the 2023 Indian Institute of Science Bangalore & TU Delft Collaborative Research Call seed funding. These grants foster scientific and technological cooperation between researchers at our two institutions and thus our strategic partnership. The TU Delft & IISc call funds the initial phase of joint international research collaborations with clear expectations that the researchers will submit a follow-up research proposal that continues the research started and consolidates the research partnership.
In 2022, the first edition of the call was launched with projects funded in such domains as renewable power systems, innovative materials, hydrogen-powered engines, and linear dynamic systems
The 2023 grantees are:
Rapid identification of micro and nanoplastics (Nanoplastic-ID) - Prof. Akshay Naik (PI, IISc), Dr. Prosenjit Sen (PI, IISc), dr. Murali Krishna Ghatkesar (PI, TU Delft) and dr. Tomás Manzaneque (PI, TU Delft)
Micro- and nano-plastic pollutants are present in air, water, and food, with the capability to reach inside various organs of the human body with consequences yet to be understood. However, the existing methods of detecting these pollutants are time-consuming and expensive. The collaboration aims to develop an affordable microfluidics-based method to detect and identify micro- and nano-plastics rapidly. Detecting plastic pollutants will contribute to making policy decisions on one of the sustainable development goals mentioned by the United Nations on good health and well-being.
An attempt to explain the unusual nitrate dynamics in Berambadi catchment through conceptual modelling – Prof. Muddu Sekhar (PI, IISc) and Dr. Markus Hrachowitz (PI, TU Delft)
Increased fertilizer application has caused considerable increases in Nitrate concentrations in surface and groundwater of the Deccan Plateau, India, leading to a deterioration of water quality. As a first step to design effective interventions for improving water quality by nitrate removal, we will in this project develop an integrated hydrological/water quality model to identify the source areas of Nitrate in the system and to quantify solute travel times.
Exploring the Electrical Addressal of Bistable Molecular Metal-to-Metal Electron Transfer Systems: Towards Nanoscale Applications - Dr. Abhishake Mondal (PI, IISc) and Prof. Dr. H.S.J. van der Zant (PI, TU Delft)
Nano-scale electronics demands the miniaturization of active electronic devices, thereby ultimately constructing quantum nanocircuits using molecules with diverse structures showcasing functionality such as switching or sensing. Molecular magnetic materials exhibiting stimuli-responsive spin state switching or metal-to-metal electron transfer pose ideal candidates for the development of such circuits. In a combined chemical and physics approach we will synthesize molecular bistable systems, fabricate prototype devices and characterize them to understand the underlying science at the single-molecule level.
‘Electrified’ Mobility between TU Delft & IISc – Prof. Vinod John (PI, IISc), dr. Vishnu Mahadeva Iyer (PI, IISc), Prof. Pavol Bauer (PI, TU Delft) and dr. Gautham Ram (PI, TU Delft)
This project will examine sustainable charging infrastructure for electric vehicles through innovation in onboard and offboard chargers, battery management systems and charging strategies at system level. Collaborative research will cover wide-bandgap semiconductor-based power conversion for electric vehicles and their impact on the grid, battery management systems and charging strategies at the vehicular and system level, second life use of EV batteries for grid-storage applications and their impact on the power grid and scalable technologies for commercialization.